Sunday, April 09, 2006

Elite Condo Project at 90 George St Delayed

Construction on the city's most expensive condo development has reportedly been delayed until May, thanks to legal allegations emanating from disgruntled subcontractors.

Broccolini Construction has filed a lawsuit against 90 George St. claiming $1.7 million in back pay for work performed on the site. Developer Terry Guilbault, however, says he fired the firm after they didn't meet expectations and denies the allegations.

"We decided we needed someone with more experience in high-rise construction," he told the Ottawa Citizen this week. John Broccolini, head of Broccolini Construction, denies they were fired.

The proposed 19-storey building at 90 George St., in which penthouse units are going for a reported $1.8 million apiece, is right now a gaping hole in the earth fenced off from the rest of the Byward Market.

Guibault, however, remains positive.

"This project is definitely a go," he said in the same interview. "Sales have gone remarkably well."

At the same time, Canril is suing the building's original architects, Desmarais Cousineau Yaghijian St. Jean Marchand Architecture and Design, in a separate legal battle. Guilbault says the firm used the same design as 90 George St. on a building for competitor Claridge Homes.

Guilbalt says he believes construction will begin again as early as May.